The Last of 99 Goodbyes

I stayed in the hospital for three days, and for those three days, my phone stayed silent. I didn't receive a single call from my family.I didn't call anyone either. I didn't scroll through their Instagram feeds like I used to, trying to keep up with every little update in their lives.Instead, I just quietly rested in my hospital bed and dragged my weak body around for checkups and payments.Even on the day I was discharged, I didn't tell a soul. I simply packed my own things, endured the pain in my abdomen, and slowly made my way home.When I pushed the door open, the laughter inside the house abruptly stopped.Everyone was gathered in the living room. My fiancé, Joel, was sitting beside Yvette with his arm casually draped around her shoulders.The moment he saw me, he pulled his hand back and gave me an awkward smile. "Soph, you're back? Where have you been these past few days?"My brother, Joshua Norton, let out a cold snort. "Where else would she have gone to? She just did

Joshua yanked my hair so hard that I stumbled down the stairs. "Vivi's an adult now! You can't just ignore her feelings like you used to!"I fell to the floor, and pain shot through both my knees.Joel frowned. "Soph, I was the one who decided to delay the wedding. It had nothing to do with Yvette. If you're upset, take it out on me. Just don't make her feel bad."As I lay curled up on the floor, I couldn't tell whether the pain in my chest or in my knees hurt more."Don't be mad at Sophia," Yvette said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have turned 18 so soon. If I had waited a little longer, then the trip wouldn't have clashed with her wedding."I caught the tiny smirk tugging at her lips."You're being ridiculous! You can't decide when you grow up. This happened because she picked the wrong date for her wedding. It's not because of you," Joshua snapped.He stared at me, irritation written all over his face. "You love sulking, right? Fine. Stay he

Mom's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Joshua caught her just in time.Dad's face went pale as he stumbled into the house. When he saw the storage room door that had been forced open, he fell to the floor."My daughter… Sophia!"Panic flooded Joel's face. His voice trembled as he said, "No, that can't be. Soph was just fine just now! She has to be fine now too!"When he finally snapped out of his panicked state, he turned to rush outside. But Yvette stopped him. "Joel, don't go! Mom fainted! You have to get her to the hospital."Joshua was holding Mom upright as he helplessly looked at Joel.Joel gritted his teeth. "Get her in the car. We'll go to the hospital… and see Soph too." By the end of his sentence, his voice was already breaking.With that, they hurried to the hospital. The moment they arrived, Mom woke up."Sophia!" she cried out, tightly gripping Joshua's hand. "She's fine, right? She's still in the storage room. Go let her out already!"Joshua looked away.

By the time the paramedics broke down the door, I had already passed out in the storage room.Fortunately, they were professionals. One of them immediately administered an epinephrine shot, dragging me back from the edge of death."Miss, your throat swelled up due to a severe allergic reaction," the doctor said as he helped me onto a stretcher. "The swelling's gone down now, but you should still go to the hospital for a full checkup."Just then, Alfred came running in from the backyard. The sight of the paramedics crowding the house made him freeze. "What's going on here? How did you get in?"He turned and saw me lying on the stretcher with a swollen face. Immediately, his breathing stopped, and he clutched his chest before collapsing to the floor.The doctor was shocked. "Quick! Get him into the ambulance!"After a moment of chaos, the doctor turned to me and said, "I'm sorry. That man just went into cardiac arrest. We have to rush him to the hospital right now. The ambulance ca

I stared at Joel until he looked away in guilt. Only then did I nod and say, "You're right. I should make room for her. That's why I decided to give you to her. Isn't that the perfect outcome?"Joel opened his mouth to respond, but I waved him off. "My feelings for you faded a long time ago when you'd repeatedly told me to step aside. I don't love you anymore, and I'm done sacrificing myself for you. "No one cherished me, but I learned to cherish myself."Joel felt as if something had struck him in the chest. He stumbled back a few steps, unable to bear the blow.I didn't spare him another glance and started walking toward the backstage exit.But before I could leave, the others blocked my way.Joshua looked at me with a conflicted expression. "You've really made something of yourself over these past few years.""Sophia, we read your diary. We had no idea you had gone through so much pain," he said, sighing deeply.I remembered tossing that diary into a corner before I left. I